


Stiles' Guide to Wooing His Best Friend

by everysundoesntrise



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Derek and Stiles are the Same Age, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-12
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-02-25 02:32:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2605352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everysundoesntrise/pseuds/everysundoesntrise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s not fair, Stiles thinks, because he’s had a crush on Derek Hale since the 7th grade. Yet the first time Derek talks to him for years, he’s asking for Stiles’ help in wooing Scott. Stiles hates himself for saying yes.</p><p>Or the one where Derek has his own Stiles-esque crush on Scott and Stiles, being the self-sacrificing idiot he is, helps him through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stiles' Guide to Wooing His Best Friend

In texts:

**Stiles**

_**Derek** _

_Allison_

* * *

Stiles meets Derek Hale for the first time when he’s thirteen years old. His mom had just died the week prior and Derek drops by his house, pats his head and lies on Stiles’ bed with him for a while, making dumb jokes for hours just to get Stiles to smile.

It’s cliché as hell, but it doesn’t stop Stiles from falling in love.

Derek doesn’t come back after that day, and Stiles guesses he’s been forgotten. But that’s okay, because he’s used to it. Liking Lydia Martin and being ignored by her for years has its benefits. 

So it’s okay, Stiles honestly believes, that Derek doesn’t talk to him or even acknowledge his presence. Really, it’s totally fine. And Stiles happily convinced himself of that until his junior year.

At lunch, early in the school year, Derek walks up to Stiles’ lunch table. Lydia glances over at Stiles (because they had somehow become friends when Stiles wasn’t creepily pining after her affections), worried. Derek clears his throat, glancing at Scott before his eyes drift over to Stiles.

“Can I talk to you outside, Stiles?”

Stiles blinks, confused, because he’s never really talked to someone he’s had a crush on, especially not alone, “Me?” 

“No, you idiot. The other kid named Stiles at this school.” 

“No need to get so aggressive!” He laughs awkwardly, before standing up and following Derek outside to a secluded area. 

There’s silence between the two of them for at least five minutes, Derek concentrating on the ground beneath them and Stiles moving his foot in a repetitive circular motion.

“Did you take me out here to murder me? Because if so, you really need to work on your performance. You’d have a lot of witnesses pointing you at the scene of the crime. Lydia would be able to pin you down as my murder in seconds. Hell, even Scott could.”

Derek seems to freeze at the mention of Scott and concentrates on the ground a little harder.

Realizations hits Stiles, “Is this about Scott? Holy shit, do you like Scott?” And every part of Stiles wants Derek’s next word to not be yes, but that’s exactly what it is.

“Yes,” he mumbles, barely audible, “I was wondering if you could help me.”

And it’s not fair, Stiles thinks, because he’s had a crush on Derek Hale since the 7th grade and Scott’s never looked Derek’s way once.

“Help you woo my best friend? I never thought you were the romantic type, Hale.”

“I’m not, that’s why I need your help.”

And curse Stiles for caring about Scott and Derek’s happiness. He hates that when it came to Lydia and Jackson, he didn’t care about being an asshole. He hates that he’s learned from that experience and he hates that he cares too much about Scott and Derek to not help. 

“Fine,” and Derek looks shocked, “Come to my house tonight and we can figure out something.” 

When he and Derek separate ways and Stiles ends up back at the lunch table, he’s met with expected looks. 

“What did he want, Stiles? Did he hurt you?” Scott’s the first one to ask. And Stiles refrains from saying that Derek doesn’t want to hurt Stiles, but he’s bound to do it anyway.

“Nothing really. He just needed help with a math problem and for some reason, we had to go outside for that,” Stiles lies and, by the looks of it, Lydia saw right past it. But he couldn’t deal with that right now. She already knows how gone he was on Derek and she would reprimand and yell at him if she knew what he was doing. She would talk about how he should put his own feelings in front of other people’s for once, that it isn’t healthy. And he would tell her that he would stop when they both know he wouldn’t because he doesn’t think he could ever put his own feelings above Scott’s not after everything the two of them have been through. It’s better not to tell her anyway.

* * *

Derek comes through the window that night much to Stiles’ shock and amusement. 

“You know there’s this thing called a door? They’ve been around since at least ancient Egyptian society. Pretty useful invention if I-”

“I know what a door is,” Derek interrupts.

“Well, now that that matter’s settled, let’s move onto the more pressing one at hand,” Stiles guides Derek to the chair next to his desk, “How did you climb up to my window?”

Derek sighs, “Can we please just get to the reason I came here?”

Stiles holds back a frown, “You mean Scott?”

“Yes,” Derek’s voice gets quiet.

“Well, first things first,” and Stiles hates that he almost starts singing _Fancy_ , “you need to be able to say his name if you hope to get anywhere with him. Let’s practice that together. Say it with me. Scott McCall. It’s not that hard.”

Derek does not in fact say it with Stiles. 

“Come on, Derek, you can’t expect Scott to magically fall in love with you if you can’t even say his name. How are you two going to say your vows?” And wow, Stiles just loves to hurt himself, because now all he can picture is Scott and Derek getting married with Stiles standing behind Scott and later delivering a best man speech about how he made this all possible.

“I can say it.”

“Prove it.”

“Scott McCall,” Derek’s voice a little louder than it was the other times he talked about Scott.

“Good job,” he pats Derek on the back, “That’s enough progress for today, don’t you think?”

“You didn’t help me at all,” Derek frowns.

“That’s because I need to talk to you more about this before I agree to fully help you. Scott’s my best friend, brother even and so I need to make sure you mean this and this isn’t a Stiles-esque Lydia Martin crush.”

“A what?”

Stiles waves him off, “Not important. Now, why do you like Scott?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not good enough, Derek. I need to feel the emotion if you want me to help you here. You can talk quietly if that really is the only way you can talk about someone you like.”

And his voice does grow smaller and quieter as he begins to talk, “It’s hard for me to explain why I like him. He’s just such a good person and it’s refreshing. He reminds me of my brother, doing anything for anyone and I-”

Stiles, growing increasingly uncomfortable, stops him and flashes him a bright smile, “Okay, I’ll help you, buddy.” 

Derek blushes and Stiles wishes Scott wasn’t the one who caused it.

* * *

“Scott’s a really simple guy. It doesn’t take much to impress him in all honesty. He finds most things funny, so just be yourself and try to make him laugh. It doesn’t hurt that you’re attractive and strong, that’s kind of his type. I’d say the main thing we have to work on is making you more approachable. He’s kind of scared of you right now, dude.” 

“How do I become approachable?” Derek asks, scribbling everything down on a little notepad and Stiles is tempted to write a book about how cute Derek is, because seriously, he’s taking notes about how to be a good match for his best friend. 

“It’s all about the demeanor, Derek! You got this whole brooding and intimating vibe about you. You’ve got to loosen up! Have more fun. Be more comfortable with yourself,” and suddenly the idea hits Stiles, “Acting!”

“What?”

“Derek, you have to sign up for acting class. I can go with you if you don’t want to be alone but this is literally perfect. It will make you more comfortable in your own skin and it will be fun! Come on, we have to go!” Stiles whines, searching for the nearest and soonest acting classes offered in Beacon Hills on his computer, “Look, there’s one in two days and it’s only a mile away from school! This is perfect dude!”

And that’s how Derek and Stiles end up outside Deucalion’s Theater two days later.

“Thank you everyone for coming. It’s good to see some new faces,” the instructor, Deucalion, smiles at Stiles and Derek, “We’re going to start with introductions and some warm up exercises. How about the newcomers start?”

Derek and Stiles promptly embarrass themselves for the next hour and half. 

Derek pretends he hates it. As soon as the hour and a half are up, he scurries out of the building and drives home.

“That was Derek Hale, right?” a girl asks from behind Stiles, who nods. “Lydia always talks about her friend that has a huge thing for him. I’m assuming that’s you.”

Stiles grins sheepishly, “I guess there’s no point in denying him. Don’t tell him, yeah? My name’s Stiles.”

She smiles, “Allison Argent. Is there something going on there now? Going to acting class together makes the two of you seem pretty serious." 

He wished there was something serious, “Nah, just trying to help him come out of his shell. Just friends, I swear.” She nods, but he has a gut feeling she doesn’t believe him. 

“Well, if anything does happen, I don’t want to hear it from Lydia okay?” She writes down her number on a piece of paper, “Give me a call when you two get your acts together and figure things out!”

Lydia corners him at school the day after he and Derek act together for the first time, “You’ve been hanging out with Derek Hale a lot these days, Stiles.”

“I’m just helping him with math, Lydia. I already told you that.”

“That doesn’t explain why you guys went to an acting class together,” Lydia snaps.

“How do you know about that?” He remembers the brown-haired girl he met the other day, “Allison.” 

“Yes, Allison, now tell me, Stiles, what’s going on with the two of you?” And she looks worried, like Stiles is getting himself involved with something that’s only going to get him hurt (which, to her credit, is true), so he does something he’s become exceptionally good at in the past couple days. He lies. 

“I think he likes me, like really likes me, Lydia. I think maybe something could happen but we both are hesitant about it, so don’t say anything to him or anyone.  Please, Lydia. For me.”

She smiles at him, “For what it’s worth Stiles, I think really likes you too.”

And Stiles would forever like to remember this day as the first time he knew Lydia Martin to be wrong about something. 

* * *

The thing about Stiles is that he’s never really been anything to anyone except his parents and Scott. To everyone else, he’s just the spastic, smart kid that nice, beautiful Scott tolerates. And it’s okay, really. He loved spending his childhood with his three favorite people and he didn’t need anything more that. It would’ve been nice to have other people, but he didn’t _need_ them.

When his mom died, things got harder. His list of people that cared about him shrunk from three to two, but it was manageable. (For a fraction of a second he thought maybe Derek was someone who would start to care about him back then, but that notion was quickly forgotten). He still had Scott and his dad. It didn’t matter if people at his school judged him by that fact, because he was proud of it. He had two people in his life that would do anything for him and he’d do the same for them. But it got harder, it always did. His dad pulled away from him more, taking more night shifts and Scott, well, he suddenly was a lot more popular than he was before. Sophomore year ushered in Isaac Lahey, Jackson Whittemore, Danny Mahealani and the rest of the Beacon Hills lacrosse team shoving Stiles to the side both literally and figuratively. 

Suddenly it wasn’t _ScottandStiles_ , it was _Scott_ and _Stiles._ People didn’t look at them anymore and think, ‘ _the inseparable weirdoes_ ,’ anymore. No, they looked at Scott and thought, _‘popular,_ ’ and they looked at Stiles and thought, ‘ _Why does Scott keep you around? Is it pity?’_ Stiles hates himself for getting affected by it. Scott’s his best friend and no matter what happens, he would do anything for Scott. So he began to put up a bright smile and didn’t take it to heart when people shoved him to the side, not even when Scott stopped showing up for their bi-weekly game tournaments because Scott was happy so Stiles was happy.   

It’s not until Derek Hale starts talking to Stiles again that Stiles begins to feel like he’s not just Scott’s best friend to everyone. He’s more than that. He pushes the thoughts that scream that Derek’s only hanging out with him to get to Scott to the side, because, however true that may have been in the beginning, he really thinks that Derek genuinely likes him as a person now. And maybe it’s not the same kind of like Stiles hoped it would be, but who cares? He’ll take what he can get. 

* * *

Acting classes continue and Derek grows more and more comfortable and, dare Stiles say, approachable.

He drops the bomb on Derek two weeks after this weird arrangement first started when they’re walking to their respective morning classes, “I think you’re ready.” Stiles realizes how masochistic he is. Derek hadn’t mentioned Scott in the past week, focusing more on having fun with Stiles, and now Stiles is pushing him towards his best friend. (He just doesn’t want to get false hope-that Derek is starting to like Stiles because he’s spending all this time with him, because it’s a ridiculous thought to begin with. Stiles pines after people who would never want him and it’s almost comforting to be faced with the constant of his feelings not be reciprocated. That way he never has to deal with these very same gnawing and anxious thoughts that are currently plaguing him). 

Derek stops walking for a second, before nodding, “You really think I’m ready?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you,” other than every minute of every day, Stiles mind supplies, “It’s time to start phase two of the wooing process: actually talking to Scott.”

“How do I do that?”

Stiles can’t help but laugh, “Talking to Scott is easy!” Or it used to be, “He’s a nice guy; if you walk up to him and don’t glare, conservation will just happen. Let’s set a goal; at lunch, you’re going to ask if he wants to eat outside with you and when he asks why, say that you want to get to know him better. Scott won’t be able to stay no! Now get to class, Hale!”

With Derek out of sight, Stiles lets himself slouch. He’s beginning to realize that maybe helping Derek wasn’t the healthiest thing for his heart, but he’s too far involved now that he can’t exactly back out. He does the first thing that crosses his mind, he texts Allison. 

**Hey, this is Stiles, from acting class. I know you said to call you when Derek and I apparently get our acts together (Ha ha very funny pun by the way), and we haven’t yet, probably never will, but I need to talk to someone about our situation and if I go to Lydia, she will get mad.**

She responds almost instantly. 

_What is it?_

**I did something stupid and I knew it was stupid when I agreed to it but I’m only know realizing just how stupid this decision was.** ****

_Stop being elusive, Stiles! Just tell me or I won’t be able to help you._

**I may have agreed to help Derek get with my best friend a couple days before you and I met.**

_Why on earth would you do that!!!!!_

**I don’t know. I want them both to be happy. I just needed to get it off my chest… Please don’t tell Lydia. She will castrate me.**

_It’s because she cares about you, Stiles! Ever since you got over your crush on her, she’s been talking about you a lot. About how you and I are the two people she’s the closest to.  About how you deserve more than you think you do. Now I may not know you very well (though I do know that you’re a terrible actor), but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell that she’s right. Don’t torture yourself, Stiles._

**I’m already too far in for that.**

**Don’t tell Lydia, Allison. I need you to promise me that.**

_Fine. I won’t tell her. But think about getting yourself out of this mess, Stiles. It’s only going to get worse if your best friend starts to feel the same way about Derek that you do._  

The bell rings and Stiles barely makes it to his first period on time, Allison’s words sticking in his head the entire time. 

* * *

Derek does what Stiles suggests at lunch that day, taking Scott outside, food in hand. Lydia, once again, glares at Stiles, whispering, “What’s going on there?”

Stiles yanks her away from the rest of the group and lies, “He said he wanted to get to know my friends so we could begin to tell people.”

“Should I expect to be taken out to lunch by Derek Hale then soon?”

Stiles laughs, “I wouldn’t count on it.” 

“You’re not telling me something, Stilinski,” Lydia begins, “The things you’ve been saying haven’t been adding up and you’ve been lying to me. If you don’t think I’ll find out what you’re hiding from me, you’re wrong.”

Stiles hopes she never finds out. It’s better for her to think Stiles is happy than wasting her time trying to fix someone who can’t really be fixed.

Allison’s words seem to be an omen, because Scott confides in Stiles the next day, “I think I like Derek Hale.” Stiles wished he prepared himself more for this day. Derek being all happy and couple-y with his best friend seemed a lot more real now than it did the last couple weeks.

Stiles laughs, feeling his heart churn inside of him, “Oh really? He took you outside for lunch and suddenly the two of you have begun your own love story. You’re growing up so fast, Scotty.”

“Shut up, Stiles,” Scott hits his chest, “He’s just a lot sweeter than I thought he was and I wasn’t expecting him to be that easy to talk to, you know? Is this okay with you?”

Stiles freezes, pleading to whatever entity exists up there that Scott doesn’t know that Stiles has been carrying the largest torch for Derek for the past four years, “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You had a small crush on him back in 7th grade, didn’t you?” Scott smiles, “This isn’t like a violation of the bro-code, is it?”

He wonders idly if Scott would actually care if he was ‘violating the bro-code,’ and pretends that he’s certain Scott would. But Scott doesn’t need to know about Stiles' feelings; it’s better for Scott to be happy and ignorant of them and for Stiles not to have to know whether or not Scott would care enough about Stiles’ feelings to not do anything, “Go for it, Scotty!”

Scott looks at him pensively, “Do you like anyone Stiles?”

Stiles takes a deep breath, and he knows he should tell Scott that he likes Derek, has since his Lydia Martin phase ended, but he doesn’t, “Nah, once you’ve liked Lydia Martin, there’s no one else that can really fill that hole.”

Scott laughs and Stiles finds himself laughing along and it feels nice.

Later that day, he sends Allison a text.

**Are you psychic of something? Scott just informed me that he’s starting to have feelings for Derek.**

_Stiles… Get out of it while you can._

_Wait, your best friend’s Scott. Like Scott McCall?_

**Yeah. Don’t tell me you like him too?**

_Well, it looks like you and I will be sailing the unrequited love ship together._

**Welcome aboard, my friend.**

* * *

To Stiles’ surprise (and relief), Derek doesn’t stop talking to him once Derek and Scott begin on the inevitable road that will lead to dating. In fact, he starts coming over more and starts talking less and less about Scott though Stiles tries to make their conversations more about Scott so he doesn’t get that false sense of hope that’s always chasing after him. 

“When are you going to ask Scott to homecoming? He totally expects you to ask him. He’s already practiced his answer. It’s a yes by the way though I probably wasn’t meant to tell you that.”

Derek rolls his eyes, “Shut up, Stiles. _The Walking Dead_ game came out last week and I figured you of all people would have already bought it, so I figured I come over and we could play it.”

“First using me for cheap romantic advice and now abusing my love of _The Walking Dead_ , I feel like a dirty whore,” Stiles jokes.

“So?” Derek lifts his eyebrow in anticipation, “I want to play.”

“Fine, fine. It’s downstairs, go and get it. I’ve already beaten it, so do what you like.” Derek runs downstairs and Stiles picks up his phone.

**Code red: how does one get rid of false hope that a certain Hale is interested in him?**

_Is this really a code red, Stiles? Code red should be something more serious like maybe something with blood._

**Fine, Ally. Code maroon: how does one get rid of false hope that a certain Hale is interested in him?**

_Really, maroon? You’re a moron, Stiles.  I don’t know how to get rid of said false hope, but hopefully you get rid of it soon or else you’ve lost your spot on the SS Unrequited Love and our friendship status will be terminated._

**Good to know that you’d rather have me suffer through Derek not liking me back just so you won’t be alone in your misery.**

_It’s like you don’t know me at all, Stilinski ;)_

Stiles laughs, hard. He’s grateful he met Allison. She’s funny as hell and he gets along better with her than he does with most people.

“Who are you texting?” Derek’s voice seems smaller than it did when he first came over.

**I wish I didn’t have to know you. What did I do to deserve this punishment?**

“Allison. That girl from our acting class, brown hair, brown eyes, winning smile.”

Derek grunts, “Is there something going on there?”

“Oh yeah,” Stiles drawls sarcastically, “Maybe we should go on a double date with you and Scott and we can compete in a cutest couple competition.”

Derek cracks the game disk.

“Dude!” Stiles yelps, “What the fuck? I paid good money for that! Are you angry because I said Allison and I would win cutest couple against you and Scott? I was lying! You and Scott are cute,” he feels bile rise up in his throat,” And it would be kind of hard for me and Ally to win considering we aren’t a couple.”

**Code burgundy: Derek’s angry I said that you and I would beat him in a cutest couple contest against him and Scott. If my body is found in a dumpster, you know who to pin the murder on.**

Derek backs away, face tinted slightly redder than before, “I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get over it. We all have our anger urges and you just happened to take yours out on my precious, expensive game.”

"I’m going to buy you a new one, Stiles” his voice goes quieter when he says his name. It reminds Stiles of how Derek first talked about Scott and, fuck, maybe Derek does like him.

_Are you sure he wasn’t angry because he thought you were taken?_

And maybe Allison is right, maybe he was.

“I told you it’s fine, Der,” Stiles smiles, feeling lighter than he did before, “You texted me that you hadn’t watched yesterday’s episode, so we can just do that instead."

Derek nods, smiling and red and Stiles wants to do nothing more than run over to Derek and confess his feelings that may actually be returned.

But Stiles remembers Scott, and he can’t. Scott, who with his rose-colored glasses, probably expects he and Derek to be high school sweethearts.

When the episode is over, Stiles looks up at Derek, “You never answered my question, when are you going to ask Scott to homecoming?”

Derek doesn’t respond, but he ends up asking Scott the next day, in a very extravagant manner, in a way that isn’t Derek at all. With flowers and a huge sign with quotes from Scott’s favorite cheesy books.

He texts Allison a picture of the sign Derek made with the caption, **Code cordovan** , and she shows up at his house with a fuming Lydia behind her.

“I thought you said you and Derek were dating.”

Stiles inhales and scratches behind his head, “I may have lied about that.”

She glares at Stiles, “So what were the two of you spending all this time doing?”

He pauses before he answers, “I may have been helping him woo Scott,” he winces and adds, “Don’t get mad.”

“You are an idiot, Stilinski, an unbelievable idiot."

“I tried to tell him that when he first told me what he was doing, but he was annoyingly persistent,” Allison remarks.

Lydia spins on her heels, facing Allison, “You knew about Stiles’ little plan that was bound to get him hurt?”

Stiles jumps in before Lydia could get madder at Allison, “It’s not her fault. I wouldn’t let her talk me out of it. I thought I was doing the right thing and I was. I made Derek and Scott happy, okay? And that’s what matters.” 

“What about you, Stiles?” Lydia meets his eyes, “You’re so selfless with Scott and you know he wouldn’t do that same for you!”

And yeah, that hurt, but he knows Lydia’s just looking out for him in the long-run, like she always has been since they became friends, “It doesn’t matter if he wouldn’t do the same for me, Lydia. He’s my best friend, my brother. Scott and I promised that we would always do anything for each other and I won’t let myself go back on that. Ever.”

Lydia looks like she wants to say something, but Allison speaks before she can, “Look, Lydia, I get you care about Stiles, but we can’t change the fact that Stiles has already gotten Scott and Derek together and that he’s already been hurt. We came here to cheer him up with some movies and ice cream, not to make him feel worse.”

Lydia, seemingly in agreement with Allison (and the fact that Allison can make even Lydia realize she’s wrong is something Stiles loves about her), nods, “But Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re taking me to homecoming this weekend.”

“What?”

Lydia rolls her eyes, “You heard me Stilinski. Jackson and I broke up and you clearly need a date or you'll end up crying and watching re-runs of _Doctor Who_.”

So Stiles goes to homecoming with Lydia. And Derek goes with Scott.

He watches Derek and Scott virtually the whole night, only stopping when Lydia glares over at him. Derek seems to ignore his presence only paying attention to Scott the entire night. At one point, the two of them stare at each other, go outside, and leave. Stiles prays that they don’t hook up tonight because he’s not sure he could handle that.

Aside from the whole Derek and Scott problem, Stiles has a good time. Lydia makes sure to keep him occupied and he even gets a couple dances out of her (and with the way Jackson keeps looking over at the two of them, he’s pretty sure Jackson and Lydia will get back together by the week’s end).

When he gets home, he just hopes that he can still be friends with Scott and Derek.

But after homecoming, Derek stops showing up at Stiles’ house, stops walking with him to class, stops waving in the hallway. After that, Stiles goes back to being nothing but Scott McCall’s loser best friend in Derek’s eyes and he never realized how much that would hurt.

Scott doesn’t talk to him after either. He looks away whenever Stiles even tries to make eye contact and Stiles doesn’t get what he did. Scott was the one who got Derek in the end, not Stiles. Scott was the one who got to keep his mom and dad (who reconciled their marriage during Scott and Stiles’ freshmen year). Scott was the one who got everything. Stiles hates how selfish he sounds, but he also hates how much it hurts. He doesn’t even know what he did. He tried to help Scott and Derek get together and somehow it ended up Scott and Derek both hating him.

He flocks to Lydia and Allison in an attempt to avoid his problems, to avoid Derek and Scott. And he lives in this state for weeks until Allison steals his phone one day when she’s at his house and texts Derek.

**Hi Derek! I miss you. Can you talk?**

Stiles has to refrain from punching her in the face. He doesn’t understand why she would do that.

“Stiles, I can’t watch you sit around here being miserable. It seems that having Derek in your life as a friend made you happier than not having him at all.”

**_What do you want to talk about?_ **

He looks pointedly at Allison, “Well, this is you’re doing, so you’re fixing it.”

**I don’t want to lose you as a friend again. Please don’t just stop talking to me when I’m no longer of use to you.**

**_Again?_ **

She smiles at Stiles, handing him his phone, “I think you can handle it from here.”

He leans into her shoulder and responds.

**Back when my mom died, when we were 13, you came over and we hung out for a while and I thought we became friends, but then you never talked to me again.**

**_That was you?_ **

**Who did you think it was?**

**_When I first saw that kid, he was with Mrs. McCall. Or I guess, you were with Mrs. McCall, so I thought that kid was Scott…. I didn’t know you were crying because your mom died either. I just saw you crying and I wanted to do something about it._ **

**That still doesn’t explain why you stopped talking to me, Der.**

**_Fuck, Stiles, you know how I get around people I like. I liked who I thought was Scott, but I guess I liked you, so I felt uncomfortable hanging around you after that day._ **

**…That doesn’t add up, Derek. Scott and I literally look nothing alike. There’s no way you would think that how I looked as a kid would grow up to be someone who looked like Scott.**

**_I don’t know what to tell you but I’m not lying._ **

**Well I’m glad your childhood crush on me blossomed into you finding the man of your dreams in high school while my dumb crush on you just ended up making me a heartbroken mess!**

**_Stiles, what are you talking about?_ **

**_Crush? What?_ **

**_I’m coming over._ **

Stiles doesn’t respond, only leaning into Allison further, but Derek shows up through his window ten minutes later.

“Code carmine,” he whispers to Alison and she laughs, before nodding at Derek and leaving Stiles’ room.

“You have a crush on me?”

Stiles sighs, “Derek, please, don’t do this to me right now. I get that you and Scott are together and you guys are two of my closest friends, so if you just give me a little time, I can get over it and everything will blow over.”

“I don’t want you to get over it.”

Stiles looks up at Derek, confused, “That’s kind of fucked up, Derek. To me, and to you and Scott.”

“Scott and I aren’t together,” Derek breathes out, “We never really were together. I only asked him to homecoming because you kept pushing it.”

“Bullshit, Derek! You wanted to ask Scott to homecoming! You only started talking to me again so you could woo Scott!”

“I like you,” he yells, “And apparently, I always have!"

“What?”

“I started liking Scott because I thought he was you back when we were kids! I never really thought of him  again until our first year of high school and then I saw him and remembered that day I spent with that kid and I started liking him again! But it was you, Stiles. It’s always been you.”

“What about Scott?” Stiles can’t tell what’s he’s feeling because Derek liking him back would hurt Scott and he doesn’t know if he can do that.

“I tried to like him when we started talking, I really did. I took him to homecoming, but I couldn’t do it anymore. I told him that I liked you, that he was really nice and attractive but he wasn’t you. He got mad, but he understood, I think.”

“I can’t do this to Scott, Derek. He likes you!”

“Stop being so selfless, Stiles! You deserve to be happy. You can’t just dictate your entire life based on Scott’s feelings. I like you and you like me, so why are you holding back?”

Derek pins Stiles against his bedroom wall, “If Scott doesn't want you to be happy, then he’s not your best friend. Your whole life, haven’t you been sacrificing to make Scott happy? Because who cares if you’re suffering as long as Scott’s okay?”

Stiles shrinks within himself, “How do you know that?”

“Because I know you, Stiles. I could tell just from talking to you the past couple weeks. The way you talk about Scott is as if your entire existence depends on keeping him happy. You have to make decisions for yourself. You’re more than just Scott’s friend. You’re Stiles Stilinski. You’re funny, sarcastic, smart, clever, attractive and so much more,” he’s staring Stiles straight in the eye and Stiles find himself unable to look away.

“At least you’ve gotten over your shyness around people you like,” Stiles smiles.

Derek laughs at him, closes his eyes and inches closer to Stiles’ face, as if asking Stiles if he could kiss him. Stiles lets him.

* * *

He resolves to talk to Scott after Derek leaves and thus ends up outside the McCall residence at 10:00 PM that same day. Melissa invites him in with a sad smile and he knows it because him and Scott have drifted apart; she nods at him, telling him that Scott's upstairs.

He figures he shouldn't beat around the bush, "I don't want Derek to come between us."

Scott scoffs, "I think it's too late for that, seeing that you two were going behind my back this entire time."

"That's what you think was happening? You really think so little of me that I would be the guy you like's mistress?" Stiles fights the urge to raise his voice, "I was trying to get the two of you together, dipshit. Derek thought he liked you so he asked me to help you woo him. And yeah, maybe I liked Derek while I was helping him, but I wasn't going to do anything about it!"

"I didn't know what to think, Stiles," Scott frowns, "One minute you were telling me to go for him, the next I saw you and him flirting with each other. I wasn't hurt because Derek didn't like me, Stiles; I was hurt because you betrayed me."

"I didn't betray you, Scott! My whole life all I've been trying to do is make you happy. Whenever I thought Derek might like me back, I remembered you and I knew that even if he did, I couldn't do that to you! You, my mom and my dad have been the three most important people in my life for as long as I can remember and I'd do anything to keep it that way. I couldn't stop my mom from leaving and my dad's hanging by a thread and since high school started, I feel like you've been too. I get that people drift apart and that I shouldn't expect you to be my friend forever, but please don't make me lose you too."

Scott grabs Stiles, hesitantly, and pulls him into a hug, "I'd never leave you, you big idiot. No matter how angry I get with you, we'll find our way back to each other, okay? Even if we drift apart, and I'll goddamn make an effort to prevent that, there's no one else I'd ever consider my best friend. Fuck, Stiles, we've been through so much together and I'm an oblvious moron for not noticing that things have changed between us. I missed you, Stiles."

"I missed you too, Scott, so much. I miss us."

Scott lets go out of Stiles and extends his pinky out, "Well, then let's go back to being us. I promise I'll fight for you, Stiles."

Stiles links his pinky with Scott, "Me too."

He introduces Allison to Scott the next day and with the heart eyes the two of them make at each other, he wonders if he just accidently set up the world's future most sickeningly sweet couple.

He looks between the two of them, grabs Derek's hand and smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted Stiles and Allison to have a close friendship outside Scott.
> 
> Maroon, Burgundy, Cordovan and Carmine are all really similar colors by the way. 
> 
> If you spot any grammatical errors, let me know. I was editing this pretty late at night.
> 
> Sorry if this is terrible!


End file.
